PREVALENCE AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH FEAR OF FALLING IN THE ELDERLY ATTENDING A TERTIARY HOSPITAL IN SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA

Abstract

Introduction: Fear of falling is a loss of confidence in balance which affects the quality of life of the elderly. Falls in older people can result in disability, death, financial stress on the family, and higher medical expenses and a significant proportion of those who fall are said to be afraid of falling.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and the factors associated with Fear of falling in the elderly attending the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study of patients, 60 years and older, attending the Family Medicine clinic. A questionnaire (which included the Modified Fall Efficacy scale) was used to collect data on the socio-demographic characteristics and fear of falling. The functional assessment of the respondents was done using the Timed Up-and-Go test (TUG). Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were done to determine the factors associated with the fear of falling.

Results: Of the 292 respondents, fear of falling was prevalent in 58 (19.9%) of them. The female gender was found to have 50% lower odds of having a fear of falling than their male counterparts (O.R.=0.541, 95% C.I=0.327-0.896). An association was found between fear of falling and TUG as those with a fear of falling took a longer time to complete the TUG test.

Conclusion: The study suggests that healthcare professionals should routinely investigate the fear of falling in geriatric care to devise preventive and intervention strategies to combat the Fear of falling among the elderly.

Keywords: Elderly; Fall prevalence; Fear of falling; Modified fall efficacy scale; Timed up and go test.